The Emory Sports Hall of Fame inducted three new members for their great contributions to Emory athletics this past Saturday, Sept. 20, in the Miller-Ward Alumni House.
Added to the exclusive group were former Coach and Administrator Mike Phillips, former tennis All- American and NCAA Singles and Doubles Champion Mary Ellen Gordon and former women’s soccer All-American Annie Schenck.
Phillips was the head coach of the Emory golf team, holding the position from when the program first started in 1983 through 2011.
During that time, the Eagles gained 13 University Athletic Association (UAA) titles, 16 NCAA Championship appearances and finished in the Top 10 six times.
Phillips was selected as the conference coach of the year 10 times throughout his significant 35-year career at Emory.
“My induction was totally unexpected but certainly an honor that is deeply appreciated,” Phillips said. “I could write a book of so many pleasant and memorable happenings over my 35 years at Emory, but my greatest satisfaction comes from seeing and visiting with past team members who are now in great positions of success both in their careers and family lives.”
Over her four years at Emory, Gordon secured the most honors of any woman’s tennis player in NCAA history in all divisions.
As an Eagle from 2001-2004, she became the first woman in UAA history to receive the MVP award for all four seasons. Gordon won the NCAA Division III Singles Championship two years in a row and won the National Doubles Championship four times, becoming the first person in NCAA history to win the doubles crown all four years.
Impressively, in her junior year, she became the second person in NCAA history to win the National Team, Singles and Doubles Championships in the same season. She is in the No. 1 spot in Emory’s history with 115 singles and 104 doubles wins.
“It was fun reflecting on my time as part of the Emory athletics family and the Emory women’s tennis team,” Gordon said. “My years on the tennis team were marked with many championships that I’m very proud of, but it’s the time we spent together as a team leading up to those victories that are the most memorable; we had so much fun together, on and off the court. Being inducted into the Hall of Fame was truly an honor.”
From 1999 through 2002, Schenck led the Emory women’s soccer team to a four-year record of 57-9-11 and two appearances at the NCAA Tournament.
As a powerful forward, she earned her spot as the top scorer in her first three seasons, and is still the team’s all-time front-runner in points, goals and game-winning goals. Her outstanding career warranted back-to-back First Team All-American honors, making her the first player in Emory women’s soccer history to earn the decoration.
“My teammates over the years became my second family. I can’t imagine my college experience without the team and playing soccer. We laughed constantly and had the time of our lives,” Schenck said. “I’ll never forget it. I truly consider it a gift to have been granted the opportunity to play soccer for Emory, and the selection and induction is incredibly humbling and exciting for me.”
With these three new inductees, the Hall of Fame now stands at 161 members.
Nominees must pass a high standard to be considered for the recognition, criteria including exceptional achievement at the All-Conference, All-Region, All-American or Olympic level for athletes, and exemplary service and commitment to the Emory athletic program for coaches or administrators.
All Hall of Fame inductees are displayed in the George W. Woodruff Physical Education Center (WoodPEC) on the Emory campus, while inductees who impacted Oxford athletics are also on dis- play at the Williams Gymnasium at Oxford College.
– By Elana Cates, Contributing Writer
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